Anyone harvesting garlic yet?

[miniroots]

Some of the early varieties say they are ready in May...
Is anyone enjoying their own garlic yet?

And does anyone save cloves to plant in autumn?

[miniroots]

[saddad]

Better planted in Autumn where at all possible, the cold helps the cloving, not expecting to lift mine until Late July, haven't used up last years yet!
;D

[tim]

Just green garlic - only planted in January!

The early stuff is great, but doesn't keep?

[Tee Gee]

Is anyone enjoying their own garlic yet?

Had a look at it this morning and I would say any day now as the leaves are beginning to 'pale' a little suggesting that the leaves have done their bit!

And does anyone save cloves to plant in autumn?

I always save the 5 biggest bulbs from the crop for planting up the following season and have done for many years.

[miniroots]

I'm quite excited - it's my first time!

And if you're in Huddersfield then we're probably sharing the same climate in Manchester...

[OllieC]

I'm hoping they do lots of the swelling towards the end, as I picked one the other day & the bulb was only about an inch in diameter. The top half of the plants look very strong.

[tim]

They do!!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I save my own for autumn planting, and it works well. Only plant the biggest cloves; small bulbs, and the little cloves from the middle of the bulb, only give you small bulbs the following year. Even my early garlic is showing no sign at all of keeling over.

[Tora]

I harvested a dozen garlic bulbs today. These are shop-bought garlic cloves planted in November. They were ok until this month when they started to show flowering stems and look yellow and weak. Today I decided to dig them up because I need space for tomatoes. They were small but perfectly cloved. Smallest one was about 3cm across and biggest 4cm.

I'm growing Germidour garlics (from seed bulb bought at a garden centre) and a few other varieties as well and they are still green and bulbing up.  ;D

I'm definitely going to save Germidour bulbs for planting this autumn. They are such strong plants and doing very well. I'm expecting huge bulbs from them... :)

[mc55]

had a peek at mine this morning but they look very small still (planted Oct/Nov) but a gorgeous shade of pink !

[queen of the cobs]

haven't looked at mine yet, but my leaves have started to go very yellow, so I'm hoping that it's nearly time!

[cambourne7]

HI

I was weeding my garlic bed today and pulled a bulb planted in feb, its spring onion size and was red outside. Just sliced it like spring onion and popped into tin foil with a red onion which will be a bed for a nice peiced of 21 day aged beef in the oven with some red wine :-)

Cambourne7

[Tee Gee]

This was my garlic three days ago

[Biscombe]

Mine look they'll be ready in 2 weeks, can't wait!

[antipodes]

what about garlic planted in late winter? As I didn't have the plot before, mine were the first things in, in february. They are about a foot high now, vigorous leaves and some are starting to turn a little yellow. Do you have to dig one up to check? Or can you gently uncover the earth and put it back again??

[Robert_Brenchley]

Wait and see. Lift them when 10% have flopped iver,

[Rohaise]

Mine are pushing up strong flower shoots ....what do I do...cut them off?
  I bought mine at a nursery and they were very expensive so thanks for the tip about saving the largest ones for planting next ...err...winter ?   :-\
Still learning !  Rohaise

[Robert_Brenchley]

Take the flowers off and you'll get bigger bulbs.

[Emagggie]

1st timer here, can someone explain how I know when to harvest please?
Should I wait until leaves are all yellowed? Onions too, please, they don't seem to mention this in the books. ???

[Robert_Brenchley]

Wait till about 10% of the garlic has fallen over. I tend to leave onions till they're well fallen over.